


Are you cold, Master Burglar?

by Mo6918



Series: What you find on the road [2]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Grumpy Bilbo Baggins, M/M, Thorin is a Softie, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:00:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22768930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mo6918/pseuds/Mo6918
Summary: Hungry and cold is not the best condition a Hobbit can be in. Thorin knows better than to allow it.Not beta read.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Series: What you find on the road [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1637008
Comments: 8
Kudos: 264
Collections: ThorinXBilbo1437





	Are you cold, Master Burglar?

Bilbo lifted his feet and let the bedroll flap around them, using the spare material to create an extra protection against the cold creeping in from the lower end of his sad little bed. On the upper end, he had the fabric tucked over his head. He heard footsteps, passing him and leading away from the camp. Having found shelter under a steep cliff that stood unclimbable in the landscape as if someone had meant to build something and stopped midway, the guard was positioned a little way away, to allow them an early warning and a way of escape, since the rocky wall cut off half of their escape route.

The footsteps disappeared and Bilbo stopped making an effort to keep his teeth from clattering together like his teacups in the cupboard during an earthquake. Ah, his teacups… How he longed for a nice cup of tea. Not the nasty hot water he had been offered after they’d set up camp. A good tea had to have a beautiful colour, taste, milk, biscuits… _biscuits_ …

“The rumbling of your stomach will alert everyone in this forest. Half my watch I was sure a bear was sneaking up on me…”

Bilbo hadn’t noticed that someone, and he knew exactly who that someone was, had crept up to his bedroll. He refused to acknowledge the intruder on his suffering and said nothing, staring angrily into the darkness of his beddings.

“Are you cold, Master Burglar?”, continued the voice and the question was enough to make Bilbo snap. He opened the nest he’d build enough to uncover one eye for an accusing stare.

“No, I’m just shivering for the jolly fun of it – of course I’m cold, it is freezing, for Yvanna’s sake!” And with that, he pulled the blanket back over his head and retreated further into his nest of misery.

Once more he heard footsteps, leading away from his bedroll and immediately, the feeling of guilt mixed into the cold, hungry mess he was currently living. He shouldn’t have snapped like that. Supplies were running low and if the initial lack of second breakfasts and elevensies had been hard to bear, it was nothing to the constant feeling of emptiness he was experiencing now. He had no idea, how the dwarves managed to stay fairly levelheaded under these circumstances. Maybe it was easier, having not been very levelheaded to begin with.

Bilbo for his part, was getting grumpier with every sad and sorry meal and the previous night’s dinner, when Thorin had shared the marrow of the bone he’d been given by Bombur with him, stating that the orcs would surely get back on their track if the halfling’s tummy wasn’t kept well fed, seemed far, far away.

The dwarrow had carved a little hole into the bone, instead of breaking it up like the others did with their share of the carcass Bombur had did his best to turn into something edible, and he had smoothed the edges so Bilbo would not cut his lips and tongue open, when he suckled on the bone like a fauntling, feeling both pacified and uneasy about taking from Thorin’s meal. But the soon-to-be-king had reassured him with a small smirk, and remembering the warmth of it, Bilbo felt even more guilt about having snapped at the dwarf.

He would apologize in the morning.

If he hadn’t starved to death by then – not to be melodramatic or anything.

“Everyone’s asleep.”

The hobbit jerked out of his misery. Once again, he had not noticed Thorin closing in on his nest, but the surprise wasn’t the only thing that had his heart to a little stumble.

_Everyone’s asleep_ – except for Dwalin who had taken the watch – meant… well it might mean…

Bilbo lowered his protective blanket and peeked out into the night. Starlight was dancing in the streaks of white that weaved through Thorin’s hair and Bilbo felt much more amiable toward the cold wind, now that he saw it sway that long, dark mane. He hesitated for a moment, then he opened up the edge of his nest, cringing at the cold air that invaded his retreat immediately. A sparkle glistened in Thorin’s eyes, as he watched the hobbit unfurl, then he slipped next to Bilbo and the halfling heard the gentle swoosh of more fabric being draped over them.

He had scooted over to make room, but as soon as Thorin’s back had met the ground, giving the dwarrow space was the last thing, he intended. He pressed in close, half climbing on top of the king to be and swallowed a groan of relief at the warmth emanating from the taller man, whose arms closed around him like another blanket, but warmer, much warmer und much more welcome than any stinking bedroll.

“Mahal, you really are cold”, Thorin muttered, as his big hands slid under the wool of Bilbos’s jacket only to find his skin cool and shivering.

“What did you think my teeth are clattering for? Chewing on air?”, Bilbo hissed and he used the momentum of purest grump to lift a hand and untie the top of Thorin’s tunic, burrowing face down into the soft pillow of hair on the dwarrow’s chest.

“I was speculating that you were just playacting to get me to join you”, Thorin said and Bilbo could _hear_ the smirk on his lips.

“As if”, he huffed into the warmth of his newfound headrest and burrowed his nose deeper into the hair, rubbing the cold tip of his nose gently against the warm skin. His pillow shook with a low chuckle, then a big hand moved to cup his head, warm and protective and causing a much more pleasant shiver to run through him, as Thorin’s thumb gently brushed over the tip of his ear, up and down, up and down, until Bilbo felt sleep finally embracing him. He was warm and content. And not quite as hungry as before. But still pretty hungry, to be honest.


End file.
